1999 Land Rover Freelander TD i review from Australia and New Zealand

The first 50,000km went fairly smoothly, although tyre wear was very uneven and caused unbearable noise in the cabin.

Oil leaks from all over were the first sign that something was wrong at about 60,000km. The dealer said we will keep an eye on it is repairs would be thousands of dollars. This was the prophecy of things to come.

THe air conditioner has always blown hot air.

THe heater leaked out its fluid and lasted only one mild winter. THey want $1,800 to fix it as it takes a day to remove the dash and a few minutes to fix, then another day to put it back in.

THen they willl only guarantee it for 12 months!!i.e. Perhaps it would all happen again next year and so on.

CD player has jammed so many times that it is now disconnected.

The stater motor stopped after about 70,000km. Landrover were going to charge $800 for a new one, but it was repaired for a little over $100 by an auto electrician.

Then the real trouble began!!

Blowing a head gasket at 140,000 km is not what I would expect of a Landrover. After spending $2,800 on a motor rebuild, which they said was necessary due to the car overheating. I picked the vehicle up in the morning and drove it less thawn one hundred Km before losing all of the oil and over heating a second time. Another $1,800 later and Landrover again blame me, the cautious driver, whilst ducking for cover over any liability, even for the second incident. Even now the car is running hot whilst my bank balance runs cold and hence totally diminishes any fuel efficiency that may be about the only selling feature.

But more. I wanted to rid myself of this wasteful burden and sought a trade-in...even on a new one. THis was the real shock. Trade in value. After paying over $40,000 three years ago, they are offering $10,000!! THis to me is bordering on scandalous trading by Landrover, who say that that is just market conditions. Well, my brother bought a $32,000 Subaru Forrester 4 years ago and has just received $24,000 trade -in on a new one!! Therefore by comparison, the Freelander has cost an extra $22,000 plus in that time!! Now, that is not cheap " running cost".

The car is now exhibiting all kinds of other noises. I can't afford to sell it and lose that ludicrous amount of money. And I fear that the ongoing repairs will break the bank.

And Landrover will continue to deny that they are selling sub-standard merchandise.

At first I loved my Land rover due to appearance and handle. But that quickly wained.

After all of the repairs, the car is seriously sluggish, over heating, still without a heater, poor air conditioner and not reliable.

THe situation regarding the poor trade in value means you want to have money to burn before you consider one of these. Because once you've got it, Landrover do not want to know about any liability.